By Staff
filled with events
Parade, flotillaand homes tourare being offered
By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
The first weekend in December in Washington has become so filled with activities and events that it’s been given a name to signify its special status.
The Washington Tourism Development Authority has named the weekend of Dec. 5-7 as the Inner Banks Holiday Extravaganza. Venues that will be hosting events during the weekend include the Turnage Theater, Washington Civic Center and the downtown Washington waterfront. Merchants throughout downtown Washington will be open with extended hours during the weekend.
That resulted in the idea to promote the entire weekend and all the events together instead of promoting them on an individual basis, Lewis said.
The Beaufort County Arts Council’s annual Holiday Arts and Craft Show will be held at the Washington Civic Center. The annual event opens at noon Dec. 5 and runs until 8 p.m. that day. On Dec. 6, the show reopens at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The 2008 show features a variety of original, quality, hand-made items for sale by more than 45 artists and craftspeople from across North Carolina. Call (252) 946-2504 for more information about the show.
For the first time, the annual holiday HeART of the City concert will be at the Turnage Theater in downtown Washington at 8 p.m. Dec. 5.
The Beaufort County Choral Society, under the direction of Laura Scoble, will perform with the River City Ringers. Special guest performances will include the ECU Jazz Ensemble, along with dancing Santas and snowmen and some surprises.
The concert is free to the public, but attendees will need tickets, which will be distributed at the door the night of the concert. The concert is presented by the Beaufort County Arts Council in cooperation with the City of Washington and the Turnage Theater. Call 252.946.2504 for more information about the concert.
Washington’s Christmas parade returns to downtown at 10 a.m. Dec. 6. The parade is best viewed from Main Street. The parade is organized by the Washington Kiwanis Club.
Also on Dec. 6, the Turnage Theater Holiday Homes Tour takes place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Eight to 10 homes within walking distance of downtown will be featured on this tour. Advance tickets are $20 each and are available through the Turnage Theater box office, (252) 975-1191. Tickets will be $25 each the day of the tour.
The sixth-annual Christmas Flotilla, sponsored by Downtown Washington on the Waterfront, returns to the Pamlico River off Washington’s waterfront on Dec. 6.
The event kicks off at 5: 30 p.m. with a sing-along led by Vertical Praise. The flotilla is scheduled to pass in front of the reviewing stand at 6 p.m. The flotilla includes the arrival of Santa Claus on a yacht. Two nonprofit organizations will sell food and warm drinks. As it did last year, the event will help collect toys for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign. Unwrapped toys will be collected at a site on the waterfront. The toys are distributed to needy children in Beaufort County. The event is free to the public. For more information about the event, visit www.washingtononthewater.com or call (252) 946-3969.
Market Street Brass will perform in a HeART of the City Concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at Washington’s First Presbyterian Church. Consisting of music faculty from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the ensemble’s seasonal program is free and open to the public. The concert is presented by the Beaufort County Arts Council in cooperation with the City of Washington. Call (252) 946.2504 for more information about the concert.
Some information for this article was taken from a news release from the Washington Tourism Development Authority.